The social media space has been awash with pictures of some leaders of Edo State All Progressive Congress, APC, who visited President Bola Tinubu on Friday. The leaders included the Party’s governorship candidate, Senator Monday Okpebholo, his running mate, Rt. Hon. Denis Idahosa, Senator Adams Oshiomhole and the Minister for Niger Delta Development Affairs, Hon. Abubakar Momoh and others. The APC media handlers have been making a feast out of the meeting pointing to the possibility that the president has decided to implement the “Operation Take Edo State By Force “ agenda.
However, investigation has shown why the candidate of the party failed to address the State House Press Corps after the meeting. Instead Senator Oshiomhole and Hon Momoh did.
According to a journalist covering the State House, they did not know how Senator Monday Okpebholo was smuggled out of the villa after the meeting because the journalists wanted to interview him.
Inquiries have revealed why the candidate of the APC was not allowed to address the state house press. According to a reliable source who craved anonymity, the reactions and directives by Mr President were responsible. The APC team came cap in hand begging for campaign funds and support of Mr President claiming that the courts will remove the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, candidate, Dr Asue Ighodalo.
According to sources familiar with the development, Tinubu has so far not been forthcoming in regards to funding the Edo State APC campaigns because it was said that Senator Okpebholo was wealthy enough to fund his campaigns, which was part of the reasons the ticket was taken away from Hon. Dennis. Secondly, the source also said the president has been receiving unfavourable reports that Ighodalo was going to win the election with a landslide. The president is said to feel funding the election, which he wants to be free and fair, will amount to waste of funds.
The president, who the source said has been receiving reports of Senator Okpebholo’s public gaffes has not been impressed. He also noted that the sole dependency of the party on the disqualification of the PDP candidate as the route to winning the election is a miscalculation. He advised the leaders of the party that visited to up their game if they want any meaningful support from him.
The source claimed the president directed one of his top media aides to subtly inform the candidate to stop facing the press so as not to have a repetitions of the litany of embarrassments that are on the social media space. It was learnt the president told Senator Oshiomhole to show more commitment towards the election noting that there are complains that he and Idahosa, the deputy governorship candidate, were not really committed to the APC for the election, and that they cannot rely on the so called Federal Might.
